City of Ottawa’s Heritage Inventory Project is moving into our neighbourhood!

The below letter is sent on behalf of the City of Ottawa’s Heritage Inventory Project. The Heritage Inventory Project is a city-wide strategic initiative which is evaluating buildings built before 1980 for heritage significance.

By Avery Marshall, Adrian Phillips and Amber Polywkan, Built Heritage Researchers, City of OttawaThe City of Ottawa is undertaking a major project identifying buildings, structures and other built resources of cultural heritage value. The ‘Heritage Inventory Project’ is a city-wide project involving the surveying and evaluation of a vast array of Ottawa’s built resources, from the modest worker’s houses of Lowertown, to the fine Arts and Crafts homes in Brantwood Place, to the century old barns of Kinburn, and even the numerous bridges that span our city’s many waterways.

The goal of the Heritage Inventory Project is to create certainty around Ottawa’s heritage resources with a complete, well-researched, up-to-date list of all heritage resources in the city that are not already protected by the Ontario Heritage Act.

Properties identified through the project will not be designated under the Ontario Heritage Act, rather they will be added to the City’s Heritage Register.  A rigorous update to the City’s Heritage Register will be beneficial for property owners, developers, heritage advocates, elected officials, planning staff, community groups and all concerned residents. Being listed on the Heritage Register will not affect the property owner’s ability to make changes to the exterior or interior of their building, and it does not require the property owner to restore the building. Property owners will need to provide the City of Ottawa with 60 days notice of intent to demolish.

The research method for the project includes photographing, describing architectural characteristics and evaluating thousands of built resources throughout the city. The results of the Heritage Inventory Project will be accessible on GeoOttawa and also the city’s website.

We’re asking community members to share information about their properties or other buildings or structures in their neighbourhood. We would love to know who designed your home or the original use of a particular building.

Please connect with the City of Ottawa’s built heritage researchers: Avery Marshall, Adrian Phillips and Amber Polywkan at heritageinventory@ottawa.ca or say hello if you see us in the neighbourhood.

More information about the Heritage Inventory Project is available at ottawa.ca/heritageinventory.

The City of Ottawa Heritage Inventory Project uses a GIS software tool to collect heritage data on neighbourhood buildings. Readers are invited to get in touch with the authors and share information about your house.

Photo: Courtesy of the City of Ottawa